officials with cdc have arrived in new york city to help coordinate a response to what is being described as the worst legionnaire s outbreak in the city s history. cdc officials say while the recent cluster of cases is uncommon the disease itself is not. this is a very underreported disease nationwide. i think that situations like this where we have explosive outbreaks do serve to educate the public that this is a disease that is very common. it s often difficult to diagnosis and very, very difficult to trace. reporter: now, this summer, five cooling towers in the south bronx, including hotels and hospitals, tested possible for the bacteria that is the cause of legionnaire s. the disease was discovered in 1976 is a severe form of pneumonia which is spread through the air like the cooling towers. the cdc reports there are up to 18,000 cases nationwide every
101 more. that killer comes from something you and your family may have contact with. correspondent laura ingle is in the bronx tonight. reporter: they sit atop thousands of buildings nation-wide. large, industrial-sized cooling towers. health officials say these air conditioning units which help keep people cool could also be making people very sick. and in some cases, killing them. now officials with the centers for disease control are in new york city, responding to a call from the governor to help tackle the worst legionnaire s outbreak in the city s history. this is a disease that is very common. it s often difficult to diagnose. and it s very very difficult to trace. reporter: this summer, five cooling towers in the south bronx, including ones at hotels and hospitals, tested positive for legionella bacteria the cause of leak gionnaire s. the disease that was discovered
themselves when you talk about, you know ingesting or taking in a mist? are we talking about many of us need to wear masks? i don t think people need to wear masks, no. but the areas, if you re in a high risk area then just be aware if you have symptoms. you really can t protect yourself from getting it if you ve already been exposed, because it takes awhile for it to show up. but if you re not in an area like the bronx then your risk is low. people do get legionnaire s in this country. there have been about 2400 cases so far this year. but what s concerning here is that the number of cases in new york has been going up over time. all right. dr. devi thank you so much. appreciate it. nice talking to you. all right still ahead, the killing of zimbabwe s beloved cecil the lion. it s calling attention to how vulnerable the world s endangered species are. next cnn investigates the big money to be made in the underground illegal animal trade.
mid-july. four all with pre-existing conditions, died. the cdc needs to come in this community. residents of the south bronx are calling for more action as health officials say the outbreak could get worse before it gets better. we think it s very possible that there will be an increase in cases over the next seven days. named after an outbreak in the 70s that made a group of american legion workers ill, legionnaire s is a respiratory disease with flu-like symptoms. you can t catch it from someone else. the bacteria travels through water mist. like from air conditioners or cooling towers. five buildings in the south bronx have been thoroughly decontaminated city officials say, in an attempt to contain the spread. meanwhile, residents are warned to seek help at the first sign of illness. we thought it was just regular pneumonia, you know he got sick. then we found out it was legionnaire s that s when
residents of the south bronx are calling for more action as health officials say the outbreak could get worse before it gets better. we think it s very possible that there will be an increase in cases over the next seven days. named after an outbreak in the 70s that made a group of american legion workers ill, legionnaire s is a respiratory disease with flu-like symptoms. you can t catch it from someone else. the bacteria travels through water mist. like from air conditioners or cooling towers. five buildings in the south bronx have been thoroughly decontaminated, city officials say, in an attempt to contain the spread. meanwhile, residents are warned to seek help at the first sign of illness. we thought it was just regular pneumonia, you know, he got sick. then we found out it was legionnaire s that s when everybody really got into a panic. now, fred, new york health officials say it s important to remember you can t catch this through the drinking water.